BIBLIOGRAPHY..................... Courtney Martin English 101 Ms. Wendt March 13, 2008 Annotated Bibliography Green, Jay. Marcus Winter. “Reason to rethink social promotion.” The Atlantic Journal- Constitution 1 October 2006:1. In the article “Reason to rethink social promotion,” by Jay Greene, he explains how there is no evidence proving whether or not social promotion or retention is better for the student. First off, he describes how if a children are not promoted with their age group, it harms them socially and they end up doing worse in school. He then goes on to say retention is not for every student because some students react in different ways. Greene states that whether retention or social promotion is better for a student is very hard to test because no two students perform the same in school. Spencer, Jason. “Third-graders promoted after failing reading test; loophole in law allows many Entry to the fourth grade.”The Houston Chronicle 7 November 2004:1. In the article “Third-graders promoted after failing reading test; loophole in law allows many entry to the fourth grade,” by Jason Spencer, he talks about how states are finding loopholes in the law to end social promotion, therefore they are passing students who shouldn’t be passed. Many states are advancing students to the next grade even though they do not meet the required standards for that grade. Spencer states this is not a bad thing because he feels that if a child just missed the benchmark to the next grade they will do better when socially promoted because he feels the child will still have time to catch up. On the other hand, Spencer recalls thirty one percent of third graders failed an exam three times and then were on their way to the fourth grade. To end, Spencer says the loopholes are too large to have a solid plan on what to do for a lagging student. Heath, Marlene. “A Failure Policy that Succeeds.” The New York Times 30 March 2004:1. In the article “A failure policy that succeeds,” by Marlene Heath, she states her strong opinion that retention is the best way for students to catch up to the appropriate academic level. She tells about a student she once had who just ran her fingers over the words pretending she was reading. Heath feels that students like this are passed on to the next grade, and eventually they are struggling so much that by the time they are in high school they will drop out. Finally, she goes on to talk about how the percentages of student’s performances on tests are continuing to rise now that retention is more common. Heath feels that many benefits come along with retention. Freedman, Samuel. “On Education; No more Social Promotion? Studying Instead of Criticizing.” The New York Times 4 August 2004:1. In the article “On Education; no more social promotion? Studying instead of criticizing,” Samuel G. Freedman tells how parents do not want to retain their children even when they cannot read an age appropriate book. He goes on to say that the children who were retained have acquired a better outlook on school and more confidence in the classroom. Freedman nails the subject by asking what does it matter what age you graduate high school? The most important thing is that the student graduates and doesn’t drop out. Freedman has a strong opinion that children should be retained if they cannot perform at the appropriate level. Kelly, Karen. “Retention vs. Social Promotion: Schools Search for Alternatives.” Harvard Education Letter. 3 Mar. 2008 <http://www.edletter.org/past/issues/1999-jf/retention.shtml>. In the article “Retention vs. Social Promotion: Schools Search for Alternatives,” Karen Kelly says there should be other programs offered before a teacher retains a child. She first states in most studies retention does more harm then good. Kelly goes on to talk about how there is no middle ground for retention and social promotion. She thinks there should be reading at home, afterschool help, school wide reforms, and mandatory summer school. Kelly ends with the belief that students should get the extra help they need, whether its tutoring or summer school, and then the teacher should move the child on to the next grade. Thompson, Charles. Elizabeth Cunningham. “Retention and Social Promotion: Research and Implications for Policy.” ERIC Digest. 3 Mar. 2008 <http://www.ericdigest.org/2001-3/policy.htm>. In the article “Retention and Social Promotion: Research and Implications for Policy,” by Charles Thompson and Elizabeth Cunningham, they discuss the negative aspects of both social promotion and retention. First off, they describe how social promotion frustrates the student, and sends a message to the other students that they can get by without doing the work. On the other hand, retention is not any better because it removes a student from a group of peers they are comfortable with and makes it more difficult for the child to adjust. Thompson and Cunningham are still not sure which is more effective, but they are paying close attention to the cautions that are in order for both retention and social promotion.
3-3-08 Proposal 1.What are the benefits/ downfalls of social promotion? 2.Is it more or less money for the schools if they hold kids back? 3.What are the effects of the student if they are held back? 4.How do teachers know when to hold a child back? 5.Who and what determines if a child is to be held back? Stance My stance on the issue is it is in the hands of the teacher and parents whether they believe their student/child should repeat the same grade. Knowledge about the subject I know that it is really hard on the child when they get held back. The principal has to meet with the teacher and the student about the issue, but the parents have the last say in whether their child will be held back. There are many positive things about holding a student back as well as negatives. Some of the positives are they will meet new friends, hopefully do better in school, gain more confidence, and become a better student. On the other hand repeating a grade can be very traumatizing on a child, and also the child will be more developed emotionally and physically than the other children. This could create bullying; therefore, the student would do worse in school. Social promotion is a huge deal to children in today’s society.
2-18-08 Courtney Martin Ms. Wendt English 101 February 18, 2008 Same Sex Marriage The first article I read was, For What Should I Tell My Daughter? by Meg A. Riley. Her article was a letter to George W. Bush, the President of the United States. She asks the president throughout the article how she was going to tell her seven year old daughter that the President has amended the constitution so that marriage is only between one man and one woman when Meg has a female partner (Meg’s daughter has two moms). The purpose of this article was to show the President that the new amendment will affect their family greatly. The second article I read was, I Want to Go to My Daughters Wedding by Rochelle Hollander Schwab. I inferred that this article was about why gay marriage was looked down upon. She doesn’t understand what is wrong with gay marriage. The purpose of her article was to attempt to make gay marriage legal in the state of Oregon so her daughter can get married in her hometown. From these two articles I confirmed that Meg A. Riley’s article, because of her use of ethos through real life examples, is both persuasive and effective at a level I can understand, as compared to Rochelle’s article, which lacks relevancy and organization. When comparing logos of the two articles, Rochelle Hollander Schwab clearly uses more logos, but I do not believe her logos are relevant to her article. When talking about gay marriage, she randomly brings up mixed race couples throughout the article. For example, Rochelle states, “Only a few years earlier the state of Virginia had thrown mixed-raced couples in jail for the crime of marrying across the colored line.” The information stated was unnecessary to the point she was trying to make about her daughter being turned away for applying for a marriage license. Another paragraph that used logos that was irrelevant was, “I remember that same advice was given to the four black college students who staged the first lunch counter sit-in in 1960. There were more urgent issues, voting rights for one. Eating places did serve blacks at a rear window. What difference did it make where you ate?” As one can see the use of logos was definitely apparent, it is unnecessary and irrelevant in the article about gay marriage. As for Meg A. Riley, she uses logos in a way that is irrelevant and people can understand. The first use of logos in Meg’s article is in the first sentence of the article. She states, “This morning you felt compelled to introduce an amendment to the constitution of the United States defining marriage as existing only between one man and one woman.” I think this was necessary on her part because it grabs the reader’s attention right away, and it also informs the reader of the amendment that was being changed. The most important thing about the first sentence of this article is it is relevant to what Meg is going to be talking about throughout the article. Another thing that Meg does well is state facts about her daughter throughout the article. For example, the reader finds out that her daughter is seven years old, watches Liberty Kids and Magic Treehouse books, plays soccer and karate, and plays on the playground at school. These facts are relevant in the article because they affect the reader’s emotions, which is essential in persuading someone. The interesting thing about Meg’s writing is she incorporates these little facts into proving a point. Such as, “You see, we have not yet discussed with this seven year old, precious as she is, the distinction between civil and religious marriage.” This sentence is relevant, states a fact, uses logos, and even uses pathos. When I look deep into both articles I see clearly that Meg’s use of pathos is more effective than Rochelle’s use of pathos. Meg uses examples throughout her letter to the President. The first example of pathos is when she says, “But I haven’t yet been able to break it to her that some people want to change our Constitution to say that our family isn’t part of ‘We the People.’ I just haven’t found a way to fit that in between soccer and karate.”This sentence really makes me feel empathy for Meg’s and her family, and is effective in persuading the audience. The next example of ethos Meg uses is when she states, “I do not want to teach my daughter that the President of the United States does not include our family in the people he serves and protects. I do not want to say to her that the very flag she loves will be waved by people who believe that it does not belong in our family.” This is a very strong sentence because it makes the reader transfer to Meg’s side of the story and wonder why the President is amending the Constitution. Meg does this throughout the article and this is one of the reasons it is effective and persuasive. On the other hand, Rochelle’s article does state ethos, but it does not give the reader any kind of feeling. For example, “Together they grow vegetables, create salads and casseroles, walk the dog. Together they’ve decided they’re tired of just living together. They are ready to ‘tie the knot’.” It seems like in this sentence the author is trying to create ethos, but instead she leaves me with the feeling of “why is this relevant to the article”. Rochelle does this throughout the article. Another example of this is when she says, “I want to go to the celebration. So does my husband, our older daughter, son-in-law and grandchildren. We all want to go to her wedding.” As one can see this sentence is not very effective. The sentence is irrelevant to the audience because they are not going to her daughters wedding so they are not affected by this sentence. By creating these types of sentences Rochelle does not make her self very credible. This is when ethos comes into the evaluation. Meg is more credible of the two because of the way she wrote her article. First of all, Meg is writing her letter to the President of the United States and she also signs the letter Reverend Meg A. Riley. That shows you that she is credible. On the other hand Rochelle starts off her letter, ‘I want to go to my daughters wedding.” This could be anybody writing this. This does not show that Rochelle is a very credible source. In evaluating ethos I would also compare the two author’s tones in their article. As for Meg, she has a very serious and concerned tone which makes the reader take her very seriously. Rochelle’s tone is not effective because she does not put her heart into her article. This makes the reader not care if Rochelle’s daughter gets married; therefore, the article is not persuasive. One tool that makes articles persuasive is the style of the article. Meg directly writes to the President of the United States using the word “you”. She uses the word “you” repeatedly throughout the article. This makes her article more effective and persuasive. For example, “Come over to my house tonight: you look at my daughter’s eyes as they absorb the fact that you, the first President she has ever known, thinks she can no longer be included in the very Constitution of this land.” The author is direct. She is direct in an effective and persuasive way. The style that Rochelle uses is fragments. She uses fragments throughout her article, which can lead the reader to incomplete thoughts. They make Rochelle’s writing seem informal, which is not persuasive. Another thing that Rochelle does is use incomplete sentences, which leave the reader with an incomplete thought, and un-clarity of what she is talking about. For instance, in these sentences that Rochelle wrote, “I don’t understand. They live together. They love each other. Why can’t they get married?” These sentences leave the reader to question what is she talking about. In the article, incomplete sentences do not make the article more persuasive. If anything, it loses the reader’s interest. The last tool that makes Meg’s article more persuasive than Rochelle’s is the way she organizes it. Meg starts with one thought of the President amending the constitution by saying that marriage should only exist between one man and one woman, and she sticks with that thought throughout the paper. This makes her article easy to read and it keeps me interested in what she has to say. On the other hand, Rochelle is all over the place in her article. She starts off saying she would like to see her daughter get married in the state of Oregon, and by the end of the seventh paragraph she is talking about her nephew and his partner and their son. Since Rochelle is all over the place in her article it makes it very unorganized and unbelievable. Meg’s use of pathos is both persuasive and effective in contrast to Rochelle’s article, which is irrelevant and unorganized to a point where it is difficult to understand. When comparing logos, Meg’s is clearly relevant because she uses facts about her daughter that make her more believable. Rochelle’s logos is irrelevant to her topic and just thrown in her article to add confusion. The best way Meg persuades her audience is through pathos. She makes the reader feel empathetic to her family because she indirectly states that she does not belong in our country. On the other hand, Rochelle uses pathos, but they are not effective because they are only relevant to the author herself. She does not make the reader feel empathetic towards her. Ethos is most important in making the reader think the author is credible. I really do not think you can get anymore credible than writing to the President of the United States like Meg does. When Meg writes to the President it shows that she is serious about her topic, so it makes me believe she knows what she is talking about. Rochelle’s article is not credible because she has a very informal tone, and that makes her hard to believe. Style is very important in grasping the reader’s attention. Meg grabs the reader’s attention by directly confronting the President. She uses the word “you” repeatedly throughout the article. Rochelle uses sentence fragments and leaves the reader with incomplete thoughts. This makes the article hard to understand and not persuasive. Lastly, the use of organization is lacking from Rochelle’s article because her thoughts are incomplete and all over the place. Meg sticks with the same thought throughout the article, which makes her point clear what her point is. This makes it easy for the reader to follow Meg’s argument. All in all, there are many devices that make an article persuasive. I believe Meg’s article had better logos, pathos, ethos, style, and organization, which made her article effective and persuasive as compared to Rochelle’s article.
Journal 3 2-4-08 The first strategy I used was induction. My whole paper is an example to induction because I went from using examples to finding a generalization from my examples. I chose this strategy because it is how I like to organize my papers, and it fit one of the strategies. This strategy kills two birds with one stone for me which made writing my essay easier. The next strategy I used was narration. I used this in my intro paragraph. This was a really good idea because it grabbed the readers’ attention right away, and it also helped me get the flow of my paper going. The last strategy I used was description. I used description in all three of my examples. This helped me to explain my examples with more detailed, and gave the reader a clear picture of the example in their head. I feel that my logos could be stronger. I do not really know how to make them stronger though because it is supposed to be my opinion. I think the pathos in my paper are good because my first example should affect people’s emotions right off the bat, and I continue to use emotional examples throughout my paper. As for ethos, I think I am believable in my paper, but it is hard to tell what people will think. I don’t know how to identify pathos in my paper.
2-3-08 Bravery Daniel Huffman “lived, breathed, and slept football” (Student). He was offered a full scholarship to Florida State University. He did not take it. Instead, he gave his grandmother his kidney, resulting in the end of his football career. Why did he do this? Huffman’s grandmother had severe diabetes and could not wait any longer for an organ donor. Huffman, being a perfect match, gave up a kidney, and his football dreams, so his grandmother could live. He overcame his fear of surgery, and his fear of never playing football again, to save the life of the one who raised him. What could you call this act, this wonderful deed that this grandson did? Some may call it an act of duty. Others may call it an act of kindness. I call it an act of bravery. I believe the real definition of bravery is the ability to overcome such feelings as fear, pain, uncertainty, jealousy, hardships, ect all while still acting in a morally acceptable fashion. Bravery includes having the ability to know when it is necessary to act and when one should hold back. Daniel did all of these things in his act of bravery. There are many other times when the act of bravery calls upon someone. For example, saying no to friends; I have realized this is one of the hardest things to do for me, and I am the type of person who is a people pleaser, and I do not like to say no to people; I remember at the beginning of this semester I was having my cousin, who is in high school, come visit, and he wanted to bring his friend who is known for getting into trouble, along for the ride, and I had to tell him no because I did not want to risk getting into trouble myself. My cousin ended up not coming because he really wanted his friend to come. I still feel really bad about the incident, but it was worth it in the end because I did not get into trouble. I had to risk my cousin being mad at me in order to not get into trouble. I believe this was a true act of bravery because I did the right thing in a complex situation. Another act of bravery was when I was dancing with a guy and my six foot seven boyfriend Trevor walked in and got a little jealous. He barged through all the people dancing to get to the guy dancing with me. I jumped out of the way, and he started to yell at the guy. Immediately people surrounded us and started chanting, “Fight! Fight! Fight!”Trevor surprised me by grabbing my hand and exiting the circle of people. This was an act of bravery because Trevor could have done some serious damage to the guy that was dancing with me, but instead he gathered himself and let bravery conquer jealousy. He knew that it was necessary to hold back from fighting in a difficult situation, and this is what made Trevor brave. Sometimes bravery comes in the form of sadness. This can also be a hard time to let bravery take over. When I was little I have always had a fear of dyeing and blood.When the two are together you get a coward little girl. One day I overcame this fear when I saw my cat get hit by a car. The car stopped, and my cat was still alive. I immediately ran for my cat and screamed for my mom. The guy apologized, and I told him it was okay accidents happen. We immediately took my cat to the vet and they told us that she would be okay, but she would be on lots of medicine. I was so happy and proud of myself at the same time. I realized if I had been a coward my cat would have died. About two weeks later, I received a letter in the mail from the guy that hit my cat. The letter talked about how brave I was under life threatening circumstances. I believe that guy was correct. That day I overcame fear, pain, and hardship three of the many components that make up bravery. Today, my cat is still alive from my act of bravery, and I have overcome my fear of blood. I believe this example is a true act of bravery because I knew I could not hold back from saving my cat or else she would die.This is what made me brave. Bravery has many definitions, but I believe the real definition is overcoming feelings such as fear, pain, jealousy, uncertainty, and hardship, ect while still knowing when to act and when to hold back. Daniel Huffman gave up many things to save his grandmothers life. He had to overcome fears, uncertainty, and hardship. I had to say no to a person I love because of the risk of getting into trouble, but I was also risking that my cousin would get mad at me. Trevor had to hold himself back in a situation that he normally would not hold himself back in. Lastly, I saved my cat from dying without receiving a reward. In all of these situations is when the real definition of bravery is truly looked upon. It is so easy to be a coward, but it is the people who are brave that can overcome that in any given situation. Works Cited Students gives up foorball dream, Kidney so grandmother can live. 1997. The Shawnee ews-Star 20 Dec.1997 <http://www.news-star.com/stories/122197/lfe_love.html>.
1-31-08 Brute Essay Many people think the word brute has different meanings. My definition of a brute is someone who is a violent, crude individual with immoral intent. It was very hard to choose whether or not the doctor or the patient was the brute, but I soon realized the patient was more of a brute. The patient intentionally got drunk, had fights with the doctor about holding still, and violently fought with police officers. These three things make the patient a brute. The first reason I think the patient is a brute is because he got intentionally drunk, knowing that he makes bad choices when he is drunk. Richard Selzer states, “The man was hugely drunk—toxic, fuming, murderous—a great mythic beast broken loose from the city, surprised in his night raid by a phalanx of legionnaires armed with clubs and revolvers” (376). To me, the patient should know his limits of alcohol. It makes him a brute that he did not know when to stop drinking and he intentionally got drunk knowing the consequences that follow. The second thing that makes the patient a brute is he would not hold still when the doctor calmly asked him, “Hold still” (377). Then the patient replies, “You fuckin’ hold still” (377). This clearly makes the patient a brute because the doctor was trying to save the patients life, and the patient didn’t have enough respect for the doctor to hold still. This makes me realize that if I was the doctor I probably would have sewed his ear lobes to the table also.I would have felt terrible about it—just like the doctor— but I would have felt more guilty if the patient would have died and I wouldn’t have done anything about it. The last reason I believe the patient is the brute is because he was fighting with the police. An example is when Richard Selzer states, “Again and again he throws his head and shoulders forward, the back, rearing, roaring. The policemen ride him like parasites” (376). In my opinion, anyone who violently, intentionally fights with police should automatically be considered a brute. I have had friends get MIP’s from police and they do not violently try and hurt police officers. It is immoral, and only brutes would do this. As one can see, I believe the patient is the brute. He does many things that are with immoral intent. He intentionally gets really drunk, will not hold still, and fights with police officers. I do not believe that most people do these kinds of things. This is why I considered the patient to be a brute. Bravery
The condition or quality of being brave; courage.
Splendor or magnificence; show.
1.
brave spirit or conduct; courage; valor.
2.
showiness; splendor; magnificence.
1.
a quality of spirit that enables you to face danger or pain without showing fear [syn: courage] [ant: cowardice]
Journal 1
I know how to write a paper, but I do not know how to tell if I am appealing to the reader or not. I guess I must have been because I do not get bad grades on papers, but I would like to learn how to know that I am appealing to the reader. I can tell when I read peoples writing if they are appealing to me, but it’s hard to read your own writing and know that you are appealing to the reader. We would all like to think that we appeal to the reader, but everyone looks at writing differently. I think if I had to choose between logos, pathos, and ethos on which one I need to work on the most it would be pathos. I seem to always give examples by using logic, and by using logic it makes me a credible source. I always try to put an example in each paragraph in my writing so the reader understands what I am talking about. I also think I could be more logical with my writing. Maybe I could use more detail, and that would help me become more logical. Lastly I think you sound like a good moral person if you do not use swear words in your writing, and if you talk about something that is worth talking about. No one wants be persuade by something that is not important.
Courtney Martin
Wendt
English 101
01-21-08
READ THIS ONE!!!!! READ THIS ONE!!!!!!!! READ THIS ONE!!!!!!!
Summary for Paper
In 2007, Denis Baron created the blog “Poll shows 1 in 4 Americans do not read books. But books aren’t everything.” Basically in this article, he is saying just because we do not read books, does not mean literacy is decreasing and we do not read. He goes on to tell that reading is everywhere. Some of the examples he lists are signs, maps, papers, money, cereal, t-shirts, TV, internet, and he even goes as far as saying there are 120 words on a pop can. He also states the other side of the story and says that reading teachers, TV, movies, internet, overcrowded schools, permissive parenting, illegal immigration, and comic books always seem to get the blame when there is a reading crisis. Again, Denis Baron does not understand how the literacy crisis is decreasing if reading is all around us.
There are many arguments in Denis Baron’s article. One of the arguments is that people believe that the literacy rate is decreasing because people are not reading books anymore. Other people argue that the literacy rate should not be decreasing because there are words all around us.
In this article the author starts right off by appealing to your logic by saying, “27% of Americans read no books last year,” according to an AP lpsos poll just out. Denis Baron also goes on to state that he looked up literacy crisis on Google and it returned 27,000 hits under .10 seconds. One thing I noticed he did not mention is how much the literacy rate has decreased because he said it decreased, but he did not say by how much. I believe if the author stated this the article could have been more persuasive by appealing to your emotions. I think one way the author appealed to my emotions is when he started talking about the reasons why the literacy rate is decreasing. I found it very sad because the things that were mentioned are in our everyday life so it does not give us much hope the literacy crisis with increase. From the article, I thought the author’s values and ethics were stated through his knowledge about the subject and his creative ways of thinking of all the things that had words on them. For example, the author said that there were 120 words on just a pop can alone. I found this very interesting, and it made me want to read more. After looking at logos, ethos, and pathos I found that the author appealed to pathos the most because he was trying to make the audience realize we really do have a crisis on our hands. I feel this was persuasive for me because I want to become an Elementary teacher so it really made me realize something needs to be done.
The audience of this blog would probably be teachers, people interested in teaching, or people who love to read. The replies to the article could be bias because most educators believe in the same system. They would probably say just because there is reading all wound us doesn’t mean it will help the literacy rate because reading words is a lot different than reading a book.
There are many strengths that make the article persuasive, but there are also some weaknesses. One of the weaknesses is he does not give that many facts about the literacy rate decreasing, and I think if he would have the article could have been even more persuasive. Another thing is I feel he could have been more specific with his example because I found myself confused sometimes. Some of the strengths of this article are the way he appeals to your emotions. He really makes you feel like you could help increase the literacy rate. Another strength is he is not bias in the article so you can actually form your own opinion on the subject.
One thing I think was very smart on the authors part is how he put a picture of George Bush reading to a classroom. This really makes the reader feel guilty because the president is going into classrooms to read to kids, then we should too. It also makes the issue seem very real. I think this was a very smart move on the author’s part.
I thought on the whole the article by Denis Baron was persuasive. I feel part of the reason could be because I have a strong opinion on reading at a young age so I was interested in the topic. I believe if more people read this article the literacy rate will increase. I know when I become a teacher I am going to emphasize reading! http://webtools.uiuc.edu/blog/view?blogId=25&topicId=1003&count=1&ACTION=VIEW_TOPIC_DIALOGS&skinId=286
READ THIS ONE!!!!!!!!!! READ THIS ONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!! READ THIS ONE!!!!!!!!!!!
Courtney Martin
English 101
Ms. Wendt
January 24, 2008
Reading at a Young Age is Important
Many say the literacy rate is decreasing year by year. The question is, is it or isn’t it? Literacy is defined as the ability to use language to read, write, listen, and speak. Literacy basically makes up the different ways we communicate; therefore, it is very important in our everyday lives. I would say the literacy rate is remaining constant each year, there are just more children enduring literacy problems in grade school. For example, the Alliance for Excellent Education, a Washington-based education policy research and advocacy group, “estimates that as many as 6 million middle and high school students can't read at acceptable levels (Lori Aratani).” This is not just happening in Washington, it is happening in our own back yard, and something needs to be done about it. Reading to children from the time they are born is essential because it develops many skills you will need in everyday life, it develops a bond between the parent, and it prevents any reading problems from occurring in the child’s future.
There are many advantages if parents start reading to their child from birth: positive feelings, patience, listening skills, and the desire to hear stories. First off, the child develops a positive feeling about books from the start. It is very sad, but I was never read to by my parents when I was young and now at the age of eighteen I have only once tried to pick up a book and read it just for fun. The funny thing is I never finished that book. Another good thing about reading to children at a young age is it will not be so hard when they are older to sit them down and read to them because they will enjoy reading by then (Mem Fox). This is especially true for boys because most boys do not have the patience to sit down for an entire book. Other great reasons it is important to read to a child at an early age is because they will acquire listening skills and the desire to hear stories, which are two great qualities that will help them later in school. Lastly, but most importantly, children will develop the ability to concentrate and relax during reading time which will help develop a bond between the child and the parent (Fox).
Reading aloud to children is almost essential before kindergarten. Not only does this help a child learn to read, but it also builds a bond between the child and the parent. The first reason children develop a bond with their parents when they read to them is because when the parent takes time out of their busy lives to read to a child it really shows the child that the parent cares. Actions speak louder than words, and when a parent shows rather than tells, confidence is developed within the child. The next reason is reading give parents the time to communicate with their children. Just one story can bring on so many different conversations about so many different things, and the child is learning while they are doing it. The best part is they do not even know they are learning; they are unconsciously learning. Lastly, while reading to children, one can develop an understanding for what kind of child they are by what kind of things they look for in a book. For example, when I read to my nephew I take him to the library and let him pick out three books that he might like me to read to him. It never fails that he always picks out some kind of history books. I could tell by this that he was going to love history in school, and maybe even become some kind of historian. Sure enough he is in the sixth grade now and history is his favorite subject.
Not only does reading develop a bond between a child and a parent, but the parent is also doing the child a favor by reading to the child at a young age because they are reducing reading problems in the future. Reading problems are very difficult to fix, but they are very easy to prevent. According to Mem Fox, “No wonder experts tell us that children need to hear a thousand stories read aloud before they begin to learn to read for themselves.” Reading just three books a day from when the child is born can accomplish this goal. As one can imagine, the amount of kids are behind in reading because most parents do not understand the importance of reading at a young age. I was one of these children. My parents never read to me as a child, therefore, I was way behind in reading in school. Not only did I have to attend daily tutoring, but I also had to go to a special class during the school day for kids who had problems reading. I was affected for life because I had low confidence, so when it was my turn in class to read out loud I would stutter and pronounce words wrong. No one made fun of me out loud, but I knew kids looked at me differently. Still today I get nervous when I have to read in front of people. Now, when I become a parent I know I will be reading the simple three books a day to my children from the day they are born so they will not have to go through what I did.
Dennis Baron believes that words are all around us, so why should we read books? Others may believe that television will take the place of reading, so why not just turn on the television for your child? It is true that words are all around us, but why would a child want to read them if they do not have fun reading? Reading words on a billboard and reading a book are two very different things. Reading books develops the brain, patience, listening skills, concentration, communication, and a bond between the child and the parent. Billboards do not provide any of these things. It is true words are all around us, but it does not mean people read them like they read a book. The same applies for the television. When a child is watching television they are not looking at words— therefore— they cannot learn to read from the television. Another thing is the television cannot carry out a conversation with a child like a parent can do, so the child is not learning to speak from the television. Even if the television program is educational it still is not doing the job because the television can speak to the child, but the child cannot speak back. Talking back is what language is all about.
As one can see, reading is important in many ways. If a child is read to from birth not only do they develop a positive feeling about books, they also develop patience, listening skills, and the desire to hear stories. One of the most important things about reading at a young age is the bond that is built between the child and the parents. Parents learn things about their children that they would not be able to if their child was watching television. Lastly, reading problems are prevented when parents read to their child from birth to kindergarten. All of these things are essential for a child to be successful in life. When I become a parent I know I will read to my child from the day they are born— books will become our life long friends.
Courtney Martin
English 101
Ms. Wendt
March 13, 2008
Annotated Bibliography
Green, Jay. Marcus Winter. “Reason to rethink social promotion.” The Atlantic Journal-
Constitution 1 October 2006:1.
In the article “Reason to rethink social promotion,” by Jay Greene, he explains how there is no evidence proving whether or not social promotion or retention is better for the student. First off, he describes how if a children are not promoted with their age group, it harms them socially and they end up doing worse in school. He then goes on to say retention is not for every student because some students react in different ways. Greene states that whether retention or social promotion is better for a student is very hard to test because no two students perform the same in school.
Spencer, Jason. “Third-graders promoted after failing reading test; loophole in law allows many
Entry to the fourth grade.” The Houston Chronicle 7 November 2004:1.
In the article “Third-graders promoted after failing reading test; loophole in law allows many entry to the fourth grade,” by Jason Spencer, he talks about how states are finding loopholes in the law to end social promotion, therefore they are passing students who shouldn’t be passed. Many states are advancing students to the next grade even though they do not meet the required standards for that grade. Spencer states this is not a bad thing because he feels that if a child just missed the benchmark to the next grade they will do better when socially promoted because he feels the child will still have time to catch up. On the other hand, Spencer recalls thirty one percent of third graders failed an exam three times and then were on their way to the fourth grade. To end, Spencer says the loopholes are too large to have a solid plan on what to do for a lagging student.
Heath, Marlene. “A Failure Policy that Succeeds.” The New York Times 30 March 2004:1.
In the article “A failure policy that succeeds,” by Marlene Heath, she states her strong opinion that retention is the best way for students to catch up to the appropriate academic level. She tells about a student she once had who just ran her fingers over the words pretending she was reading. Heath feels that students like this are passed on to the next grade, and eventually they are struggling so much that by the time they are in high school they will drop out. Finally, she goes on to talk about how the percentages of student’s performances on tests are continuing to rise now that retention is more common. Heath feels that many benefits come along with retention.
Freedman, Samuel. “On Education; No more Social Promotion? Studying Instead of Criticizing.”
The New York Times 4 August 2004:1.
In the article “On Education; no more social promotion? Studying instead of criticizing,” Samuel G. Freedman tells how parents do not want to retain their children even when they cannot read an age appropriate book. He goes on to say that the children who were retained have acquired a better outlook on school and more confidence in the classroom. Freedman nails the subject by asking what does it matter what age you graduate high school? The most important thing is that the student graduates and doesn’t drop out. Freedman has a strong opinion that children should be retained if they cannot perform at the appropriate level.
Kelly, Karen. “Retention vs. Social Promotion: Schools Search for Alternatives.” Harvard
Education Letter. 3 Mar. 2008 <http://www.edletter.org/past/issues/1999-jf/retention.shtml>.
In the article “Retention vs. Social Promotion: Schools Search for Alternatives,” Karen Kelly says there should be other programs offered before a teacher retains a child. She first states in most studies retention does more harm then good. Kelly goes on to talk about how there is no middle ground for retention and social promotion. She thinks there should be reading at home, afterschool help, school wide reforms, and mandatory summer school. Kelly ends with the belief that students should get the extra help they need, whether its tutoring or summer school, and then the teacher should move the child on to the next grade.
Thompson, Charles. Elizabeth Cunningham. “Retention and Social Promotion: Research and
Implications for Policy.” ERIC Digest. 3 Mar. 2008 <http://www.ericdigest.org/2001-3/policy.htm>.
In the article “Retention and Social Promotion: Research and Implications for Policy,” by Charles Thompson and Elizabeth Cunningham, they discuss the negative aspects of both social promotion and retention. First off, they describe how social promotion frustrates the student, and sends a message to the other students that they can get by without doing the work. On the other hand, retention is not any better because it removes a student from a group of peers they are comfortable with and makes it more difficult for the child to adjust. Thompson and Cunningham are still not sure which is more effective, but they are paying close attention to the cautions that are in order for both retention and social promotion.
3-3-08
Proposal
1. What are the benefits/ downfalls of social promotion?
2. Is it more or less money for the schools if they hold kids back?
3. What are the effects of the student if they are held back?
4. How do teachers know when to hold a child back?
5. Who and what determines if a child is to be held back?
Stance
My stance on the issue is it is in the hands of the teacher and parents whether they believe their student/child should repeat the same grade.
Knowledge about the subject
I know that it is really hard on the child when they get held back. The principal has to meet with the teacher and the student about the issue, but the parents have the last say in whether their child will be held back. There are many positive things about holding a student back as well as negatives. Some of the positives are they will meet new friends, hopefully do better in school, gain more confidence, and become a better student. On the other hand repeating a grade can be very traumatizing on a child, and also the child will be more developed emotionally and physically than the other children. This could create bullying; therefore, the student would do worse in school. Social promotion is a huge deal to children in today’s society.
2-18-08
Courtney Martin
Ms. Wendt
English 101
February 18, 2008
Same Sex Marriage
The first article I read was, For What Should I Tell My Daughter? by Meg A. Riley. Her article was a letter to George W. Bush, the President of the United States. She asks the president throughout the article how she was going to tell her seven year old daughter that the President has amended the constitution so that marriage is only between one man and one woman when Meg has a female partner (Meg’s daughter has two moms). The purpose of this article was to show the President that the new amendment will affect their family greatly. The second article I read was, I Want to Go to My Daughters Wedding by Rochelle Hollander Schwab. I inferred that this article was about why gay marriage was looked down upon. She doesn’t understand what is wrong with gay marriage. The purpose of her article was to attempt to make gay marriage legal in the state of Oregon so her daughter can get married in her hometown. From these two articles I confirmed that Meg A. Riley’s article, because of her use of ethos through real life examples, is both persuasive and effective at a level I can understand, as compared to Rochelle’s article, which lacks relevancy and organization.
When comparing logos of the two articles, Rochelle Hollander Schwab clearly uses more logos, but I do not believe her logos are relevant to her article. When talking about gay marriage, she randomly brings up mixed race couples throughout the article. For example, Rochelle states, “Only a few years earlier the state of Virginia had thrown mixed-raced couples in jail for the crime of marrying across the colored line.” The information stated was unnecessary to the point she was trying to make about her daughter being turned away for applying for a marriage license. Another paragraph that used logos that was irrelevant was, “I remember that same advice was given to the four black college students who staged the first lunch counter sit-in in 1960. There were more urgent issues, voting rights for one. Eating places did serve blacks at a rear window. What difference did it make where you ate?” As one can see the use of logos was definitely apparent, it is unnecessary and irrelevant in the article about gay marriage.
As for Meg A. Riley, she uses logos in a way that is irrelevant and people can understand. The first use of logos in Meg’s article is in the first sentence of the article. She states, “This morning you felt compelled to introduce an amendment to the constitution of the United States defining marriage as existing only between one man and one woman.” I think this was necessary on her part because it grabs the reader’s attention right away, and it also informs the reader of the amendment that was being changed. The most important thing about the first sentence of this article is it is relevant to what Meg is going to be talking about throughout the article. Another thing that Meg does well is state facts about her daughter throughout the article. For example, the reader finds out that her daughter is seven years old, watches Liberty Kids and Magic Treehouse books, plays soccer and karate, and plays on the playground at school. These facts are relevant in the article because they affect the reader’s emotions, which is essential in persuading someone. The interesting thing about Meg’s writing is she incorporates these little facts into proving a point. Such as, “You see, we have not yet discussed with this seven year old, precious as she is, the distinction between civil and religious marriage.” This sentence is relevant, states a fact, uses logos, and even uses pathos.
When I look deep into both articles I see clearly that Meg’s use of pathos is more effective than Rochelle’s use of pathos. Meg uses examples throughout her letter to the President. The first example of pathos is when she says, “But I haven’t yet been able to break it to her that some people want to change our Constitution to say that our family isn’t part of ‘We the People.’ I just haven’t found a way to fit that in between soccer and karate.” This sentence really makes me feel empathy for Meg’s and her family, and is effective in persuading the audience. The next example of ethos Meg uses is when she states, “I do not want to teach my daughter that the President of the United States does not include our family in the people he serves and protects. I do not want to say to her that the very flag she loves will be waved by people who believe that it does not belong in our family.” This is a very strong sentence because it makes the reader transfer to Meg’s side of the story and wonder why the President is amending the Constitution. Meg does this throughout the article and this is one of the reasons it is effective and persuasive.
On the other hand, Rochelle’s article does state ethos, but it does not give the reader any kind of feeling. For example, “Together they grow vegetables, create salads and casseroles, walk the dog. Together they’ve decided they’re tired of just living together. They are ready to ‘tie the knot’.” It seems like in this sentence the author is trying to create ethos, but instead she leaves me with the feeling of “why is this relevant to the article”. Rochelle does this throughout the article. Another example of this is when she says, “I want to go to the celebration. So does my husband, our older daughter, son-in-law and grandchildren. We all want to go to her wedding.” As one can see this sentence is not very effective. The sentence is irrelevant to the audience because they are not going to her daughters wedding so they are not affected by this sentence.
By creating these types of sentences Rochelle does not make her self very credible. This is when ethos comes into the evaluation. Meg is more credible of the two because of the way she wrote her article. First of all, Meg is writing her letter to the President of the United States and she also signs the letter Reverend Meg A. Riley. That shows you that she is credible. On the other hand Rochelle starts off her letter, ‘I want to go to my daughters wedding.” This could be anybody writing this. This does not show that Rochelle is a very credible source. In evaluating ethos I would also compare the two author’s tones in their article. As for Meg, she has a very serious and concerned tone which makes the reader take her very seriously. Rochelle’s tone is not effective because she does not put her heart into her article. This makes the reader not care if Rochelle’s daughter gets married; therefore, the article is not persuasive.
One tool that makes articles persuasive is the style of the article. Meg directly writes to the President of the United States using the word “you”. She uses the word “you” repeatedly throughout the article. This makes her article more effective and persuasive. For example, “Come over to my house tonight: you look at my daughter’s eyes as they absorb the fact that you, the first President she has ever known, thinks she can no longer be included in the very Constitution of this land.” The author is direct. She is direct in an effective and persuasive way. The style that Rochelle uses is fragments. She uses fragments throughout her article, which can lead the reader to incomplete thoughts. They make Rochelle’s writing seem informal, which is not persuasive. Another thing that Rochelle does is use incomplete sentences, which leave the reader with an incomplete thought, and un-clarity of what she is talking about. For instance, in these sentences that Rochelle wrote, “I don’t understand. They live together. They love each other. Why can’t they get married?” These sentences leave the reader to question what is she talking about. In the article, incomplete sentences do not make the article more persuasive. If anything, it loses the reader’s interest.
The last tool that makes Meg’s article more persuasive than Rochelle’s is the way she organizes it. Meg starts with one thought of the President amending the constitution by saying that marriage should only exist between one man and one woman, and she sticks with that thought throughout the paper. This makes her article easy to read and it keeps me interested in what she has to say. On the other hand, Rochelle is all over the place in her article. She starts off saying she would like to see her daughter get married in the state of Oregon, and by the end of the seventh paragraph she is talking about her nephew and his partner and their son. Since Rochelle is all over the place in her article it makes it very unorganized and unbelievable.
Meg’s use of pathos is both persuasive and effective in contrast to Rochelle’s article, which is irrelevant and unorganized to a point where it is difficult to understand. When comparing logos, Meg’s is clearly relevant because she uses facts about her daughter that make her more believable. Rochelle’s logos is irrelevant to her topic and just thrown in her article to add confusion. The best way Meg persuades her audience is through pathos. She makes the reader feel empathetic to her family because she indirectly states that she does not belong in our country. On the other hand, Rochelle uses pathos, but they are not effective because they are only relevant to the author herself. She does not make the reader feel empathetic towards her. Ethos is most important in making the reader think the author is credible. I really do not think you can get anymore credible than writing to the President of the United States like Meg does. When Meg writes to the President it shows that she is serious about her topic, so it makes me believe she knows what she is talking about. Rochelle’s article is not credible because she has a very informal tone, and that makes her hard to believe. Style is very important in grasping the reader’s attention. Meg grabs the reader’s attention by directly confronting the President. She uses the word “you” repeatedly throughout the article. Rochelle uses sentence fragments and leaves the reader with incomplete thoughts. This makes the article hard to understand and not persuasive. Lastly, the use of organization is lacking from Rochelle’s article because her thoughts are incomplete and all over the place. Meg sticks with the same thought throughout the article, which makes her point clear what her point is. This makes it easy for the reader to follow Meg’s argument. All in all, there are many devices that make an article persuasive. I believe Meg’s article had better logos, pathos, ethos, style, and organization, which made her article effective and persuasive as compared to Rochelle’s article.
Journal 3
2-4-08
The first strategy I used was induction. My whole paper is an example to induction because I went from using examples to finding a generalization from my examples. I chose this strategy because it is how I like to organize my papers, and it fit one of the strategies. This strategy kills two birds with one stone for me which made writing my essay easier. The next strategy I used was narration. I used this in my intro paragraph. This was a really good idea because it grabbed the readers’ attention right away, and it also helped me get the flow of my paper going. The last strategy I used was description. I used description in all three of my examples. This helped me to explain my examples with more detailed, and gave the reader a clear picture of the example in their head. I feel that my logos could be stronger. I do not really know how to make them stronger though because it is supposed to be my opinion. I think the pathos in my paper are good because my first example should affect people’s emotions right off the bat, and I continue to use emotional examples throughout my paper. As for ethos, I think I am believable in my paper, but it is hard to tell what people will think. I don’t know how to identify pathos in my paper.
2-3-08 Bravery
Daniel Huffman “lived, breathed, and slept football” (Student). He was offered a full scholarship to Florida State University. He did not take it. Instead, he gave his grandmother his kidney, resulting in the end of his football career. Why did he do this? Huffman’s grandmother had severe diabetes and could not wait any longer for an organ donor. Huffman, being a perfect match, gave up a kidney, and his football dreams, so his grandmother could live. He overcame his fear of surgery, and his fear of never playing football again, to save the life of the one who raised him. What could you call this act, this wonderful deed that this grandson did? Some may call it an act of duty. Others may call it an act of kindness. I call it an act of bravery. I believe the real definition of bravery is the ability to overcome such feelings as fear, pain, uncertainty, jealousy, hardships, ect all while still acting in a morally acceptable fashion. Bravery includes having the ability to know when it is necessary to act and when one should hold back. Daniel did all of these things in his act of bravery.
There are many other times when the act of bravery calls upon someone. For example, saying no to friends; I have realized this is one of the hardest things to do for me, and I am the type of person who is a people pleaser, and I do not like to say no to people; I remember at the beginning of this semester I was having my cousin, who is in high school, come visit, and he wanted to bring his friend who is known for getting into trouble, along for the ride, and I had to tell him no because I did not want to risk getting into trouble myself. My cousin ended up not coming because he really wanted his friend to come. I still feel really bad about the incident, but it was worth it in the end because I did not get into trouble. I had to risk my cousin being mad at me in order to not get into trouble. I believe this was a true act of bravery because I did the right thing in a complex situation.
Another act of bravery was when I was dancing with a guy and my six foot seven boyfriend Trevor walked in and got a little jealous. He barged through all the people dancing to get to the guy dancing with me. I jumped out of the way, and he started to yell at the guy. Immediately people surrounded us and started chanting, “Fight! Fight! Fight!” Trevor surprised me by grabbing my hand and exiting the circle of people. This was an act of bravery because Trevor could have done some serious damage to the guy that was dancing with me, but instead he gathered himself and let bravery conquer jealousy. He knew that it was necessary to hold back from fighting in a difficult situation, and this is what made Trevor brave.
Sometimes bravery comes in the form of sadness. This can also be a hard time to let bravery take over. When I was little I have always had a fear of dyeing and blood. When the two are together you get a coward little girl. One day I overcame this fear when I saw my cat get hit by a car. The car stopped, and my cat was still alive. I immediately ran for my cat and screamed for my mom. The guy apologized, and I told him it was okay accidents happen. We immediately took my cat to the vet and they told us that she would be okay, but she would be on lots of medicine. I was so happy and proud of myself at the same time. I realized if I had been a coward my cat would have died. About two weeks later, I received a letter in the mail from the guy that hit my cat. The letter talked about how brave I was under life threatening circumstances. I believe that guy was correct. That day I overcame fear, pain, and hardship three of the many components that make up bravery. Today, my cat is still alive from my act of bravery, and I have overcome my fear of blood. I believe this example is a true act of bravery because I knew I could not hold back from saving my cat or else she would die. This is what made me brave.
Bravery has many definitions, but I believe the real definition is overcoming feelings such as fear, pain, jealousy, uncertainty, and hardship, ect while still knowing when to act and when to hold back. Daniel Huffman gave up many things to save his grandmothers life. He had to overcome fears, uncertainty, and hardship. I had to say no to a person I love because of the risk of getting into trouble, but I was also risking that my cousin would get mad at me. Trevor had to hold himself back in a situation that he normally would not hold himself back in. Lastly, I saved my cat from dying without receiving a reward. In all of these situations is when the real definition of bravery is truly looked upon. It is so easy to be a coward, but it is the people who are brave that can overcome that in any given situation.
Works Cited
Students gives up foorball dream, Kidney so grandmother can live. 1997. The Shawnee ews-Star 20 Dec.1997
<http://www.news-star.com/stories/122197/lfe_love.html>.
1-31-08
Brute Essay
Many people think the word brute has different meanings. My definition of a brute is someone who is a violent, crude individual with immoral intent. It was very hard to choose whether or not the doctor or the patient was the brute, but I soon realized the patient was more of a brute. The patient intentionally got drunk, had fights with the doctor about holding still, and violently fought with police officers. These three things make the patient a brute.
The first reason I think the patient is a brute is because he got intentionally drunk, knowing that he makes bad choices when he is drunk. Richard Selzer states, “The man was hugely drunk—toxic, fuming, murderous—a great mythic beast broken loose from the city, surprised in his night raid by a phalanx of legionnaires armed with clubs and revolvers” (376). To me, the patient should know his limits of alcohol. It makes him a brute that he did not know when to stop drinking and he intentionally got drunk knowing the consequences that follow.
The second thing that makes the patient a brute is he would not hold still when the doctor calmly asked him, “Hold still” (377). Then the patient replies, “You fuckin’ hold still” (377). This clearly makes the patient a brute because the doctor was trying to save the patients life, and the patient didn’t have enough respect for the doctor to hold still. This makes me realize that if I was the doctor I probably would have sewed his ear lobes to the table also. I would have felt terrible about it—just like the doctor— but I would have felt more guilty if the patient would have died and I wouldn’t have done anything about it.
The last reason I believe the patient is the brute is because he was fighting with the police. An example is when Richard Selzer states, “Again and again he throws his head and shoulders forward, the back, rearing, roaring. The policemen ride him like parasites” (376). In my opinion, anyone who violently, intentionally fights with police should automatically be considered a brute. I have had friends get MIP’s from police and they do not violently try and hurt police officers. It is immoral, and only brutes would do this.
As one can see, I believe the patient is the brute. He does many things that are with immoral intent. He intentionally gets really drunk, will not hold still, and fights with police officers. I do not believe that most people do these kinds of things. This is why I considered the patient to be a brute.
Bravery
bravery and fortitude, is the ability to confront fear, pain, risk/danger, uncertainty, or intimidation. 'Physical courage' is courage in the face of physical pain, hardship, or threat of death, while 'moral courage' is the courage to act rightly in the face of popular opposition, shame, scandal, or discouragement.
.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bravery
1-26-08
Journal 1
I know how to write a paper, but I do not know how to tell if I am appealing to the reader or not. I guess I must have been because I do not get bad grades on papers, but I would like to learn how to know that I am appealing to the reader. I can tell when I read peoples writing if they are appealing to me, but it’s hard to read your own writing and know that you are appealing to the reader. We would all like to think that we appeal to the reader, but everyone looks at writing differently. I think if I had to choose between logos, pathos, and ethos on which one I need to work on the most it would be pathos. I seem to always give examples by using logic, and by using logic it makes me a credible source. I always try to put an example in each paragraph in my writing so the reader understands what I am talking about. I also think I could be more logical with my writing. Maybe I could use more detail, and that would help me become more logical. Lastly I think you sound like a good moral person if you do not use swear words in your writing, and if you talk about something that is worth talking about. No one wants be persuade by something that is not important.
Courtney Martin
Wendt
English 101
01-21-08
READ THIS ONE!!!!! READ THIS ONE!!!!!!!! READ THIS ONE!!!!!!!
Summary for Paper
In 2007, Denis Baron created the blog “Poll shows 1 in 4 Americans do not read books. But books aren’t everything.” Basically in this article, he is saying just because we do not read books, does not mean literacy is decreasing and we do not read. He goes on to tell that reading is everywhere. Some of the examples he lists are signs, maps, papers, money, cereal, t-shirts, TV, internet, and he even goes as far as saying there are 120 words on a pop can. He also states the other side of the story and says that reading teachers, TV, movies, internet, overcrowded schools, permissive parenting, illegal immigration, and comic books always seem to get the blame when there is a reading crisis. Again, Denis Baron does not understand how the literacy crisis is decreasing if reading is all around us.
There are many arguments in Denis Baron’s article. One of the arguments is that people believe that the literacy rate is decreasing because people are not reading books anymore. Other people argue that the literacy rate should not be decreasing because there are words all around us.
In this article the author starts right off by appealing to your logic by saying, “27% of Americans read no books last year,” according to an AP lpsos poll just out. Denis Baron also goes on to state that he looked up literacy crisis on Google and it returned 27,000 hits under .10 seconds. One thing I noticed he did not mention is how much the literacy rate has decreased because he said it decreased, but he did not say by how much. I believe if the author stated this the article could have been more persuasive by appealing to your emotions. I think one way the author appealed to my emotions is when he started talking about the reasons why the literacy rate is decreasing. I found it very sad because the things that were mentioned are in our everyday life so it does not give us much hope the literacy crisis with increase. From the article, I thought the author’s values and ethics were stated through his knowledge about the subject and his creative ways of thinking of all the things that had words on them. For example, the author said that there were 120 words on just a pop can alone. I found this very interesting, and it made me want to read more. After looking at logos, ethos, and pathos I found that the author appealed to pathos the most because he was trying to make the audience realize we really do have a crisis on our hands. I feel this was persuasive for me because I want to become an Elementary teacher so it really made me realize something needs to be done.
The audience of this blog would probably be teachers, people interested in teaching, or people who love to read. The replies to the article could be bias because most educators believe in the same system. They would probably say just because there is reading all wound us doesn’t mean it will help the literacy rate because reading words is a lot different than reading a book.
There are many strengths that make the article persuasive, but there are also some weaknesses. One of the weaknesses is he does not give that many facts about the literacy rate decreasing, and I think if he would have the article could have been even more persuasive. Another thing is I feel he could have been more specific with his example because I found myself confused sometimes. Some of the strengths of this article are the way he appeals to your emotions. He really makes you feel like you could help increase the literacy rate. Another strength is he is not bias in the article so you can actually form your own opinion on the subject.
One thing I think was very smart on the authors part is how he put a picture of George Bush reading to a classroom. This really makes the reader feel guilty because the president is going into classrooms to read to kids, then we should too. It also makes the issue seem very real. I think this was a very smart move on the author’s part.
I thought on the whole the article by Denis Baron was persuasive. I feel part of the reason could be because I have a strong opinion on reading at a young age so I was interested in the topic. I believe if more people read this article the literacy rate will increase. I know when I become a teacher I am going to emphasize reading!
http://webtools.uiuc.edu/blog/view?blogId=25&topicId=1003&count=1&ACTION=VIEW_TOPIC_DIALOGS&skinId=286
READ THIS ONE!!!!!!!!!! READ THIS ONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!! READ THIS ONE!!!!!!!!!!!
Courtney Martin
English 101
Ms. Wendt
January 24, 2008
Reading at a Young Age is Important
Many say the literacy rate is decreasing year by year. The question is, is it or isn’t it? Literacy is defined as the ability to use language to read, write, listen, and speak. Literacy basically makes up the different ways we communicate; therefore, it is very important in our everyday lives. I would say the literacy rate is remaining constant each year, there are just more children enduring literacy problems in grade school. For example, the Alliance for Excellent Education, a Washington-based education policy research and advocacy group, “estimates that as many as 6 million middle and high school students can't read at acceptable levels (Lori Aratani).” This is not just happening in Washington, it is happening in our own back yard, and something needs to be done about it. Reading to children from the time they are born is essential because it develops many skills you will need in everyday life, it develops a bond between the parent, and it prevents any reading problems from occurring in the child’s future.
There are many advantages if parents start reading to their child from birth: positive feelings, patience, listening skills, and the desire to hear stories. First off, the child develops a positive feeling about books from the start. It is very sad, but I was never read to by my parents when I was young and now at the age of eighteen I have only once tried to pick up a book and read it just for fun. The funny thing is I never finished that book. Another good thing about reading to children at a young age is it will not be so hard when they are older to sit them down and read to them because they will enjoy reading by then (Mem Fox). This is especially true for boys because most boys do not have the patience to sit down for an entire book. Other great reasons it is important to read to a child at an early age is because they will acquire listening skills and the desire to hear stories, which are two great qualities that will help them later in school. Lastly, but most importantly, children will develop the ability to concentrate and relax during reading time which will help develop a bond between the child and the parent (Fox).
Reading aloud to children is almost essential before kindergarten. Not only does this help a child learn to read, but it also builds a bond between the child and the parent. The first reason children develop a bond with their parents when they read to them is because when the parent takes time out of their busy lives to read to a child it really shows the child that the parent cares. Actions speak louder than words, and when a parent shows rather than tells, confidence is developed within the child. The next reason is reading give parents the time to communicate with their children. Just one story can bring on so many different conversations about so many different things, and the child is learning while they are doing it. The best part is they do not even know they are learning; they are unconsciously learning. Lastly, while reading to children, one can develop an understanding for what kind of child they are by what kind of things they look for in a book. For example, when I read to my nephew I take him to the library and let him pick out three books that he might like me to read to him. It never fails that he always picks out some kind of history books. I could tell by this that he was going to love history in school, and maybe even become some kind of historian. Sure enough he is in the sixth grade now and history is his favorite subject.
Not only does reading develop a bond between a child and a parent, but the parent is also doing the child a favor by reading to the child at a young age because they are reducing reading problems in the future. Reading problems are very difficult to fix, but they are very easy to prevent. According to Mem Fox, “No wonder experts tell us that children need to hear a thousand stories read aloud before they begin to learn to read for themselves.” Reading just three books a day from when the child is born can accomplish this goal. As one can imagine, the amount of kids are behind in reading because most parents do not understand the importance of reading at a young age. I was one of these children. My parents never read to me as a child, therefore, I was way behind in reading in school. Not only did I have to attend daily tutoring, but I also had to go to a special class during the school day for kids who had problems reading. I was affected for life because I had low confidence, so when it was my turn in class to read out loud I would stutter and pronounce words wrong. No one made fun of me out loud, but I knew kids looked at me differently. Still today I get nervous when I have to read in front of people. Now, when I become a parent I know I will be reading the simple three books a day to my children from the day they are born so they will not have to go through what I did.
Dennis Baron believes that words are all around us, so why should we read books? Others may believe that television will take the place of reading, so why not just turn on the television for your child? It is true that words are all around us, but why would a child want to read them if they do not have fun reading? Reading words on a billboard and reading a book are two very different things. Reading books develops the brain, patience, listening skills, concentration, communication, and a bond between the child and the parent. Billboards do not provide any of these things. It is true words are all around us, but it does not mean people read them like they read a book. The same applies for the television. When a child is watching television they are not looking at words— therefore— they cannot learn to read from the television. Another thing is the television cannot carry out a conversation with a child like a parent can do, so the child is not learning to speak from the television. Even if the television program is educational it still is not doing the job because the television can speak to the child, but the child cannot speak back. Talking back is what language is all about.
As one can see, reading is important in many ways. If a child is read to from birth not only do they develop a positive feeling about books, they also develop patience, listening skills, and the desire to hear stories. One of the most important things about reading at a young age is the bond that is built between the child and the parents. Parents learn things about their children that they would not be able to if their child was watching television. Lastly, reading problems are prevented when parents read to their child from birth to kindergarten. All of these things are essential for a child to be successful in life. When I become a parent I know I will read to my child from the day they are born— books will become our life long friends.
Works Cited
Fox, Mem., and Judy Horacek. Reading Magic Why Reading Aloud to our Children will Change their Lives Forever. New York: 2001.
Aratani, Lori. Upper Grades, Lower Reading Skills. 2006. 13 July. 2006
<http://www.washingtonpost.com/wpdyn/content/article/2006/07/12/AR2006071201825.html>.
Baron, Dennis. Poll show 1 in 4 Americans don’t read books. But books aren’t everything…
2007. 22 Aug. 2007 <http://webtools.uiuc.edu/blog/view?blogId=25&topicId=1003&count=1&ACTION=VIEW_TOPIC_DIALOGS&skinId=286>.